Thriving together at the first MY Stay and Thrive conference

International colleagues pictured smiling at the camera, at the start of the conferene

On Thursday 19 September, the MY Stay and Thrive Team, with support from the Professional Development and Education Unit (PDEU), held their conference at Destiny Church.

MY Stay and Thrive supports international recruits to succeed in the NHS and build lasting careers at the Trust. It aims to create a welcoming environment where colleagues feel supported and empowered.

The event focused on communication, culture, and career development, with sessions including allyship, professional growth and the Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) action plan.

Image showing the stage at the conference with colourful balloons and bunting in red, green orange and blue colours

Chief Medical Officer, Talib Yaseen, opened the conference by highlighting the importance of celebrating diversity, which makes our teams stronger and has a positive impact on patient care.

Chief Nurse Talib pictured with attendees at the conference smiling

Sharon Sinfield, Deputy Assistant Director of Nursing, Workforce Development and Education and Nchima Mwaba, Pastoral, Career and Cultural Lead for IENs followed with a fun and insightful talk about how cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings in communication at work, and how improving communication can enhance teamwork and patient care.

Nchima and Sharon pictured with colleagues at the conference dressed in vibrant outfits

A career panel hosted by Chris Haigh, Head of International Recruitment, featured global majority colleagues sharing career stories, while the Yorkshire Lingo Quiz, led by Lisa Field, Consultant Radiographer, brought laughter and prizes for the “most Yorkshire” delegates.

Career panel guests sat on the stage taking questions from the audience

Megan Hunt, Safeguarding Advisor, led a session on domestic and honour-based abuse, highlighting available support. PDEU launched the Professional Nurse Advocate support service, and Jude Jones from NHS England introduced the English Language Community of Practice and encouraged attendees to join the programme.

Angie Colvin and Brian Chiyesu represented the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team and shared findings from staff surveys and plans to address workforce disparities and spoke about a new mentoring programme between Trust executives and global majority staff to encourage mutual learning of different cultures and roles.

Attendees had the opportunity to visit stalls from various organisations like the Nursing and Midwifery Council, Race Equality Network, CPD opportunities, Citizens Advice Bureau, and more.

Conference attendees pictured smiling at the conference

Amy Whitaker, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Sponsor of the Mid Yorkshire Race Equality Network, spoke about her allyship journey and closed the event by emphasising the Trust’s commitment to helping all staff reach their potential and urged everyone to take advantage of the support available.

Nchima and Sharon thanked the NHS England North East and Yorkshire Stay and Thrive for sponsoring the event and everyone involved, expressing their appreciation to the presenters and support team. They also thanked international healthcare colleagues for their incredible work across the Trust.

Conference attendees smiling at the end of the conference